In a bid to forge unity among his people, His Royal Majesty, Professor Peter E. Ekpe has reconciled two leaders of Ibom Committee of Friends Association (ICFA) who were embroiled in leadership crisis.
There has been fierce leadership tussle between Mr. Gabriel Benjamin and Mr. Eyakndue Iniobong over who is the rightful President of Ibom Committee of Friends Association, an umbrella body of Akwa Ibom/Cross Rivers people living and doing business in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The two gladiators, Benjamin and Iniobong had laid claims to the position, which had resulted in crisis in the association.
Not happy with the crisis, His Majesty, Professor Peter E. Ekpe who is the Grand patron of the association, had on Sunday June 2, 2024 invited the warring leaders to his palace in Aleto Eleme where he brokered peace for them.
At the peace meeting, Professor Ekpe had advised the warring leaders to sheathe their swords for the interest and peace of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
He admonished members of the association who attended the meeting to go home and choose between Gabriel Benjamin and Eyakndue Iniobong who they wanted as their president. He stressed that any of the two that becomes president, the other contender, automatically becomes the Vice, meaning that if Benjamin becomes president, Iniobong automatically becomes vice president and vice versa.
Professor Ekpe was said to have come out with this brilliant idea in a bid to placate the contenders and bring peace and unity to the association.
The two gladiators, we heard, accepted the peace deal, thanked his majesty and promised to abide by the peace pact. His Majesty Professor Peter E. Ekpe, a recipient of multiple chieftaincy titles, including Eze Ngborogwu1 of Igboland, is an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, but resides and do business in Eleme, Rivers State. The two people contesting for leadership and other members of the association are his subjects from Akwa –Cross, and so being their Grand patron, as well as the Number one Citizen of Akwa-Cross living in Rivers state, Professor has the prerogative to reconcile aggrieved persons in the association for peace and unity to reign.
